


Freckle's discovery

by Chromite



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Steven Universe Future (Cartoon)
Genre: Flying, Investigating, Talking, clearing, exploring the world, forest, ready to fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22365112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: On a free day from learning, the freckled Lapis takes a flight around the world. While she's away from Little Homeworld, she discovers something strange, something she feels the need to investigate.
Kudos: 11





	Freckle's discovery

>It had been a few weeks since the freckled Lapis had come to Earth and Little Homeschool, and started to learn about the many wonderful things she could do and try in the new Era of Gemkind. She was finding enjoyment in some of the simpler things, like dancing and painting, as well as learning about nature from books from Peridot.  
>Today there was a break in the classes, a day for the gems and the few humans that were learning to explore the Earth and do things on their own. The freckled Lapis decided she'd use the day to explore more of nature first hand, to really see the beauty of the Earth for herself. It was with this in mind that she had taken the warp pad out to a spot suggested to her by a friendly short Amethyst and began to fly around. Starting her flight from a large field with strange giant red squishy growths on large and long green stems. Looking at the field from above, she found herself marveling at the mix of colors around her. The islands floating around the field added an otherworldly feeling to the place. She smiled as she finished taking in the scenery and flew off. She could see why the Amethyst had recommended this place to her, and if the rest of Earth was like this, she knew she'd enjoy her exploration.  
>The freckled Lapis flew to many places on her exploration of Earth, from the majestic view of the Galaxy warp resting in the ocean, to a large orange canyon nestled in the middle of a desert and lined with many holes, to a vast expanse of snow and ice, which made flying harder for her, but she still managed to explore some of it. The more of Earth she saw, the more she was certain she had made the right choice in coming here and learning.  
>The freckled Lapis had a wide smile on her face as she started to fly back to Beach City, directed in the right direction by the distinctive shape of the buildings, visible even from high in the sky. As she was heading back to her new home, she spotted something odd in the forest near Beach City. Amidst the green trees that grew, she spotted a wide area of desolation, A slight chill went through her form as she looked upon the spot, remembering all the worlds she had destroyed. "This is strange......why is there a dead spot in the middle of the forest? Was it always there, or......has some malicious gem created it? I need to check on it, if a gem made it, she could be planning to expand the area and terraform Earth. I can't let that happen." she thought to herself as she started to descend towards the barren area, determined to discover what was going on.  
>The freckled Lapis landed in the clearing and looked around in shock. The trees within a certain radius had been destroyed, splintered down to their base. The land was brown and barren, not even grass was growing. Large grey rocks had been strewn around the clearing, and in the center, the largest of the stones had been piled and arranged into a cave. At the entrance of a cave, a pair of blue curtains were hung, forming a doorway. "This isn't natural." she thought to herself. "Someone, human or gem, has done this. But who, and why?"  
>As she pondered what could be behind the creation of the cave and the destruction of the environment around it, she heard a gruff voice call out from within the cave, snapping her out of her thoughts and sending a wave of fear through her. "Hey! Who's out there?!" The freckled Lapis tensed up as she heard a growl and heavy footsteps from within. A large striped orange hand, with a large green splotch over its index finger and thumb, reached out and started pushing the curtain away.  
>From within the cave, a figure unfamiliar to the freckled Lapis stepped out. Her eyes widened a little as she got a good look at the figure, tall and muscular, an imposing quartz soldier, her bottom clad in the traditional quartz uniform, while her top was similar to a quartz uniform, but instead of a Diamond Authority symbol, it had a strange pattern upon it. Her eyes were particularly drawn to the figure's head, a thin orange gem where her nose should have been, yellow eyes glaring at her, and two small green horns sticking out of her head. The Lapis had seen gems with horns before, she knew the markings were a sign that the gem had been corrupted and healed, yet she had never seen this one around Little Homeschool. "Who is she? Why is she out here alone? Is she behind this destruction, and if she is, why?"  
>The orange figure scowled at the freckled Lapis. "Why are you here brat?! Come to torment me again? Trap me in another fusion? Keep me chained at the bottom of the ocean?! Or are you here to laugh at me?" Then the figures eyes widened a little as they got a better look at the Lapis before her. "No, you're not her. You're a different Lapis. Your gem isn't like hers, your face isn't like hers. Why did you come here?" The orange figure stepped further out of the cave, hands curling up into fists as she moved.  
>The freckled Lapis felt something rising within her. A mix of fear and determination. Her watery wings shifted into smaller fists as she tensed up and spoke. "I, I saw the clearing in the forest and came to investigate! Destroying the tr-trees and a-animals is wrong! I, I won't let you destroy anymore of this place!"  
>The orange figure chuckled. "Someone's beat you to that talk runt. I have no interest in destroying anything outside my marked territory. Fly off, before I beat you into the ground for invading my space!" she snarled at the end, barring her teeth at the freckled Lapis.  
>The freckled Lapis took a few steps back nervously, "W-well, if you're not going to destroy anything else.....why are y-you out her a-alone? Wh-who are you?"  
>"Tch, nosy little brat aren't you? I like my solitude, almost nobody bothers me out here. Now leave, or face the power of the Kindergarten Quartz who could, Jasper!"  
>The freckled Lapis took a few more steps back. "Jasper, that's a pretty name. My friends call me Freckles." Freckles smiled nervously, still prepared to fight, but now very curious about why a large Quartz was alone. To her knowledge, Quartz soldiers loved to stay in groups, especially around the ones they emerged with. "It's odd that a quartz like you prefers to be alone. Don't you ever get lonely out here? Don't you miss the company of other Quartzes?"  
>Jasper growled and took a few steps towards Freckles. "No. The other Quartzes are weak. The other Quartzes were too quick to abandon the old ways of fighting, and for what? A life of leisure, of feelings and growing softer? Where fusions walk around without a greater purpose? They're pathetic, all of them. I won't forget what I was made for so easily."  
>Freckles stopped stepping back. "I, I get it. You've done one thing for so long, it feels wrong to try something new. You want to cling to how things were, do what you always did. I thought the same way, until recently. But then......then I had my eyes opened. I was told that things could be different, and that different wasn't so bad. I was shown many amazing things. And.....and I've grown to love them. I'm.....I'm happier now than I ever was. Don't.....don't you think you should try it out?" Freckles extended her left hand towards Jasper. "I....I could help you out, if, if you wanted me to."  
>Jasper paused in place, her scowl softening as she looked at Freckles. As much as she wanted to deny it, her time with Lapis still weighed on her mind a lot. She still thought about the experiences she felt during their time fused, especially the power and the flying parts when she had had control over Malachite. The Lapis before her wasn't the one that she had wanted to return to, and yet......seeing her offer a hand towards her so freely sparked something in the Quartz. A longing for companionship, and to fuse with someone once more. To experience flying once more, and the other powers that came with it. If she proceeded correctly, she could have it all back.  
>"Tch.....fine. You're determined, I'll give you that runt! You said they call you Freckles? Well, I'll come with you for now, but only because you seem more interesting than the other gems on this miserable planet.  
>Freckle's body stopped shaking as she let out a sigh or relief and smiled. "I'm glad you're coming with me. Trust me, I'll show you the wonders of Earth, you'll see!"  
>With that, Jasper took Freckle's hand, and together they left the forest on foot. Freckles was overjoyed that she had managed to find a new gem friend, and managed to convince a gem to cease her destructive nature. Jasper meanwhile, was planning on how and when she'd try to fuse with Freckles in the future, determined not to repeat the mistakes she had made with the first Lapis she had fused with. Both were looking forward to what the future held for them.

**Author's Note:**

> I may expand on this at some point, or I might leave it as it is. For now, I feel like it's complete enough as a single chapter story, let's people imagine their own futures for the pair.
> 
> With this story, I have now hit 500000 words published to AO3. May there be many more stories to come.


End file.
